GTA V Beginner's Guide: Story Mode First Steps (2026)

TL;DR

1. Confirm Legacy vs Enhanced before anything. The two PC editions have different settings screens and extras — advice written for one misleads on the other.
2. Play story mode first, Online second. The opening missions teach driving, shooting, and money basics while paying starter cash; Online assumes you already know them.
3. Bank story cash before buying businesses. Finish the early story beats and keep a buffer before spending big — one income stream you understand beats three you cannot run.

Which source fits you

SourceFormatBest for Story Mode walkthrough video12-min videoFirst trip to Los Santos Rockstar official GTA V pageOfficial referenceConfirming your edition and where official news lands GTA WikiReference wikiDictionary for stuck moments Steam Community GuidesPlayer guidesVersioned beginner routes from other PC players

Curated picks

1. The ONLY GTA5 Beginner's Guide You Need (Story Mode) (video)

12 minutes, 377K views, snapshot 2026-09-15: what to do in Los Santos before obsessing over settings or money — tuning and grinding a game you have not played yet is guesswork. Watch on YouTube.

2. Rockstar Games official GTA V page (official)

The only authoritative place to confirm what you own and where official news is announced. Start here before following any guide written for a different edition. Open the official page.

3. GTA V Wiki — GTA Wiki (wiki)

The deepest GTA database: missions, vehicles, and collectibles with requirements and unlock conditions. Use it to check what a mission needs before you commit to it. Open the wiki.

4. Steam Community Guides (player guides)

Player-written beginner routes versioned against patches — the fastest way to see what still works on PC right now. Confirm the guide's stated edition matches yours before trusting it. Browse Steam guides.

Playnesta Verdict

Play the opening story missions with the video above queued, confirm your edition on the official page, and look up the rest only when stuck — that beats reading five guides before touching the controller.